Gilbert kindergarten teacher honored by Bruce and Gaydos with $2,500 award

PHOENIX — A Gilbert kindergarten teacher is the winner of this month’s Pay Tribute to a Teacher award, presented by Your Valley Toyota Dealers.

Alice Johnson, who teaches at Gilbert Arts Academy, stands out because she takes the time to learn each student’s individual learning style and works closely with parents to make sure she’s helping each child flourish, according to the person who nominated her for the award.

Alongside teaching her kindergarten class, she is assisting with the first grade while the school awaits a new teacher.

“I watched my granddaughter Zahara go from being super shy and scared to being open and joyful and able to see what she was capable of doing and, to me, that meant a lot,” the nominator wrote in their submission. “She doesn’t leave any child out, no matter what their circumstances may be.”

After hearing she won the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award, Johnson was overjoyed — especially because this is only her first year teaching kindergarten.

“I’m just so touched,” Johnson told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Wednesday. “That just means the world to me.”

Gilbert kindergarten teacher says she loves helping kids build confidence

She said she recognizes that learning can be challenging, so she personalizes her teaching to meet each child’s unique needs.

“For kindergarten, everything is just so new for them and their confidence blossoms as they’re learning to read and express themselves and what it means to be part of … a classroom,” Johnson said. “You see that every day and it’s those little moments when something clicks for the first time for them.”

Johnson knows how valuable early education is because she started kindergarten when she was 4. Her family put her in school early so she could help her brother, who is exactly one year older than her and who had a brain tumor.

“It affected the part of his brain that controls like his motor function, so some things weren’t quite as easy for him as far as walking and moving and things like that,” Johnson said. “It was lots of fun. … He passed away last year, but he was a total jokester, and we had so much fun.”

She said she plans to use the $2,500 award to expand her classroom library and encourage kids to help their community.

“In my class, we’ve been studying about roles in the school and community, like how everybody helps,” Johnson said. “I love the idea of using some of the award money to help a family or contribute to our community for Christmas, or something like that, and just show the kids that we all have the power to care for each other.”

Want to nominate somebody for the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award? Submissions are accepted here.

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